[skysky69]

Hi,

I am new to the fabulous world of reptiles and wonder whether anybody had any recommendations on what would be a good starter lizard and where I could find out any further information. I am quite taken with blue tongued skinks, would these be a good starting point? Does it make a difference whether you have a male or a female from a temperament point of view?

Any help or ideas you have would be greatly appreciated.

Ta!
x

 

[Neonius]

the best starter lizards to get for a beginner overall, are bearded dragons or leopard geckos, they are both very naturally tame, yet different in many ways, (bearded dragons require more money to set up and get a lot bigger than geckos)

 

[komodo]

as said above, the beardie is great. ive got a male and i can sling him on my sholder and walk around. they have great temperment. the geckos are maybe too fast for beginners. A blue tounged skink might be more hassle than a beardie.
Good luck, Joe

 

[skysky69]

Many thanks, I had not considered a Beardie.. why would the set up for a beardie cost more money than for geckos, is it because they would need a bigger enclosure?

Why would a skink be more hassle?

Ooohh, I can see that I am going to be quite annoying - too many questions!!!

 

[ianyork]

my first lizard was a beardie, and have to admit they cost a tad more than i initially thought as when i was told they are eating machines i didnt think it was literally but if your prepared to fork out £20 or so a month for crickets for them then they are very rewarding and give alot back.

the best way i can describe them is they are like small dogs :lol: and have alot of character!

 

[tombraider]

BT skinks are great I wish I had the room for one at the moment. Most of them make lovely pets but you will get the odd grumpy one. At the end of the day you should get what you want. Why buy a beardie or a gecko if thats not what you have your heart set on. and anyone who thinks lizards are a hassel maybe should have bought a gold fish :wink:

 

[speedy123]

lol a garden lizard!!! they are by far the easiest

 

[mike515]

i started with fat tailed geckos. sorta like leopards but better in my opinon. if i could go back and start again i would go straight for beardies. tey are brilliant. mine are only about 7 months old but they are already quite tame, if a bit skittish when i open their viv. My beardie setup cost me 436 quid, whereas my geckos were just over 200.

 

[CBR1100XX]

as said above, the beardie is great. ive got a male and i can sling him on my sholder and walk around. they have great temperment. the geckos are maybe too fast for beginners. A blue tounged skink might be more hassle than a beardie. Good luck, Joe

Well I have a Beardie (fantastic lizard) and 2 Blue Tongues and by far the easiest to keep is the BTS, so not sure where you get the hassle from. Both are good starter lizards annd seem to enjoy handling, the beardie does require more of a set up due to the heat requirements. My first lizards where Leopard Geckos but being nocturnal I hardly saw them. both the BTS and Bearded Dragons grow to a nice size.

 

[skysky69]

Do BTS not need the heat requirements like a beardie?

 

[CBR1100XX]

You still need a basking spot of about 100f , cool end about 75-80f this is easily achieved with a 40 watt spot bulb, during the summer I got away with using a 25 watt. They like deepish substrate as they will burrow. I also have UVB tube but a lot of owners tend not to provide one. My two are currently housed in a 3ft viv but will be moved into a 4ft in the next week or two (just being built). But a 3ft is adequate size, height is not important.

 

[Bonnie Mitchell]

Hi welcome to the wonderful world of reptiles! It's addictive and will give you lots of joy & fulfilment. Just don't expect to have spare time or cash ever again! :?
I started with Orange spotted agamas & now we have a bearded dragon too. Both types of lizard are desert agamids & (despite being from the Middle East and Australia respectively) have similar care needs.
The best type of lizard to start with is one that you have the resources to keep. Get lots of information before diving in and think carefully about the amount of time, space & cash you can afford. They live for a long time too, so it's not a quick & dirty commitment.
Vet bills can be high too. Consider insuring your reptile.
If you don't like creepy crawlies, don't bother, 'cos you'll spend a whole heap of time on insect welfare just to feed your baby.
Good luck and don't forget to let us know what you have and what you've called it/them.

 

[CBR1100XX]

Got to agree with Bonnie, all lizards require daily care so you have to think upfront about what happens when your away etc. Another Rep you could think of is a snake, much easier and cheaper to maintain and most only require feeding once a week. Have you though about snakes or is it just lizxxards that interest you?.

 

[leila]

I have to say I have owned both a blue tongued skink and a beardie, but my partner swapped my beardie for a snake so years back :twisted: I wasn't best pleased anyways I own a blue tongued he/she is a few months old its called crinch and its a lovely animal, I personally think that in some ways beardies and blue tongueds are like in nature they tame lovely ( as long as you get a normal blue tongued and one of the other species of blue tongued that can be quite nasty) and they have great personalitys alot like beardies, my blue tongue is always making us laugh hes so funny.
they aren't that hard to keep aswell they do eat a lot but so do beardies but blue tongues will eat veg, dog food, aswell as crickets ect, we tamed yours in two days and they make lovely pets, whenever we go into our room crinch is always sat up looking out of his tank window watching what your doing they are such funny pets, I think you should get what you want as you'll only be upset if you don't.

 

[skysky69]

I was unsure about a snake because of eating habits, I quite like most things furry, (whichever reptile we decide in the end would be an addition to what is swiftly turning into a zoo!) and I am not sure that I will feel comfortable feeding mice. I have seen some baby corn snakes for sale but I really do not know anything about snakes - do they have teeth, will they bite me? A snake does sound appealing because I like the smoothness of the body just like the BTS. I would like something that has the potential to be very friendly that likes / tolerates being held.

Just out of interest, which particular breeds of BTS can be aggressive and which do you have that is really friendly.

Many hours of reading ahead of me I think!

 

[CBR1100XX]

I have a friend who has about 10 BTS and only one is a bit nasty (which was a rescue) , I have an Eastern and Irian Jaya and mine are great. I think any BTS if bought young will be okay.

As for snakes there are quite a few to choose from and the majority of corn snakes about are really friendly. I have 10 corns varying from 6 years old to 3 months and i havent been bitten once by any of them one of them is a rescue and has not eaten for 6 months due to being overweight and is as friendly as any of them. I have however been bitten by my Royal Python but that was my error as I went into his viv just after he had fed. :lol:

 

[CBR1100XX]

The BTS, 400 runner is selling is from the same breeder I got mine from. I noticed you was interested in her.

 

[olli]

leopard gecko or bearded dragon they are bot quite tame depends really what you can aford leopard gecko is cheaper and easier to keep i'd say

thx olli

 

[mcmak666]

my first (and currently only) lizard is george my ackie, fairly expensive to buy but i havn't had any problems, they are great fun to watch!

 

[Mr.Bob]

My first reptile was my bts..lovely chap,very tame and very easy to deal with.Loves his time out of his viv with his mum and to explore round the front room.
He doesnt cost much to keep now it was when the buying of all his viv and stuff that was exspensive,he cheap to feed as he only gets feed every 2 or 3 days!! And is also very good at keeping the snails down in my garden.
Good luck with whatever u choose!!!